Lok Sabha polls | PM Modi vows to take stringent action against corruption over next five years

PM Modi vows to fight corruption, urges Tamil Nadu to support NDA in Lok Sabha elections for development.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, said that stringent action would be taken against corruption over the next five years, and asked the people of Tamil Nadu to give his BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) a massive mandate in the Lok Sabha elections.

Participating in a public meeting in Salem, Mr. Modi said the DMK and Congress party were two sides of the same coin as both were involved in corruption and family rule. “Only after sending the Congress home, has 5G technology grown. But in Tamil Nadu, the fifth generation [of the DMK] is coming to power,” he said.

Mr. Modi claimed that the Centre was allocating funds for development schemes to Tamil Nadu but the DMK government was trying to loot these funds -- an allegation similar to one he made earlier this month. “The development of Tamil Nadu is important. Stringent action will be taken against corruption. Because of the support the NDA alliance partners are receiving in the State, the DMK has lost its sleep,” he said. 

Taking a dig at the I.N.D.I.A. alliance, Mr. Modi said their motive had become clear after their first rally in Mumbai’s Shivaji Park. “They are attacking Hindu dharma and want to destroy it. Over and over again, they are disrespecting the Hindu religion. They are not raising a single word against any other religion,” he said, and added that the alliance also showed its disregard for the scared Sengol when it was installed in the Parliament.

Listing out various development schemes brought about by the government, Mr. Modi said of the two defence industrial corridors announced, one was in Tamil Nadu, while of the seven mega textile parks announced, one was for the State. “The Centre has given ₹260 crore for railway infrastructure work in Salem region alone,” he said. 

The Prime Minister pointed out that women have benefitted from the various development schemes brought in by the Union government. “Women Shakti has turned into a protective shield for me and the BJP now. Over the next five years, more development schemes will reach them,” he said.

When recalling about the murder of the BJP’s State general secretary ‘Auditor’ V. Ramesh, who was hacked to death in 2013 in Salem, Mr. Modi became speechless for a few minutes. He said Mr. Ramesh was a hard worker who gave his life for the party. “But he was murdered by anti-social elements,” he said.